Whats the differance

[OffSet]

i see these starters throwing 95mph and then i see closers throwing 95mph blowing it by everyone.. where as the starter gets ground balls and flyouts, etc

what do closers do to blow the ball past the hitters that the starters dont when theyre throwing equally as hard?

[loco123]

im not sure but i have always been wondering this.

maybe the closers have a tighter fastball?????

[wwRHP]

closers have got the movement on their pitches, while the starter is in there cause of his control. he eats up innings on grounders.

[xv84]

Starters have to face the same nine hitters 3 times per outing (if he makes it that far into the game). And over the course of their careers, starters face the same hitters more often. Relievers usually pitch an inning per outing (or less) and get less lifetime at-bats against opposing batters.

It could be a matter of timing the pitchers motion and/or picking up the release point.

[OffSet]

riveras been around for god knows how long, possibly faced as many batters as a3-4 year starter but still owns everyone

[Bower]

riveras been around for god knows how long, possibly faced as many batters as a3-4 year starter but still owns everyone

Considering he throws 1 pitch you can just throw him out of the picture. He is obviously gifted with a very rare talent. (being able to throw 1 pitch effectivly against the best hitters in the world.)

My little brother just got MLB 08 the show or something and Mariano has a cutter 4-seam 2-seam change and I think even a splitter. What gives? Must be the stupid guess pitch thing.

[jakejeckel]

like vx said but also different looks. theres also precived velocity. also is it a hard fastball? my friend told me that hes hit from 90-100 in the minors and the difference is whos throwing the ball. oswalt is 6feet and 180lbs and johnathan papelbon is 6'4 225. oswalt is 93-94mph and papelbon 94-95(and thats this year not last when he had it up to 98 ) there both around the same velocity but the look is very different

[OffSet]

riveras been around for god knows how long, possibly faced as many batters as a3-4 year starter but still owns everyone

Considering he throws 1 pitch you can just throw him out of the picture. He is obviously gifted with a very rare talent. (being able to throw 1 pitch effectivly against the best hitters in the world.)

My little brother just got MLB 08 the show or something and Mariano has a cutter 4-seam 2-seam change and I think even a splitter. What gives? Must be the stupid guess pitch thing.

LoL yea every pitcher has atleast 3 pitches in that game

[xv84]

riveras been around for god knows how long, possibly faced as many batters as a3-4 year starter but still owns everyone

Dominant pitchers (starters or relievers) are dominant no matter how many times a batter sees them. I'd say for Rivera's case, there is virtually no one who throws a pitch, the cutter, with the velocity and movement that he does.

[Zita_Carno]

Mariano Rivera...actually, he has two or three different pitches but he almost never uses the "other two". Occasionally the four-seam fast ball. But about 99% of the time it's the cutter, and I'm always still amazed every time I see him pitch. The batters know it's coming. They know he's going to throw it. And they can't hit it for beans; most of the time they break their bats trying to get a piece of it. And the speed! They say the cutter is supposed to be a little slower than the regular fast ball---but Magnificent Mo throws his in the high 90s, and I do mean high---about 97, 98, the same speed as his regular fast ball. God, I wish I had that pitch. Every time I see him strike out the side...
You can bet your bottom dollar he'll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

[Bower]

Zita I actually thought it was in the 93-94 range now. Depending on how juiced up the gun is. But I can remember watching him as a kid and he'd got cutter first 2 pitches for strikes then try to sit someone down with a 4-seam high that went around 98mph.

I read somewhere that Mariano was facing Johnny Damon before he was a Yankee and mariano had him with 2 strikes cutters of course. Then threw a 2-seam that came right back into the zone and they said you could see Damon drop his bat and say are you kidding me, before walking back to the dugout.

I know Mo used to throw a curve and a change-up before he was a closer.

[Defalco32]

riveras been around for god knows how long, possibly faced as many batters as a3-4 year starter but still owns everyone

Considering he throws 1 pitch you can just throw him out of the picture. He is obviously gifted with a very rare talent. (being able to throw 1 pitch effectivly against the best hitters in the world.)

My little brother just got MLB 08 the show or something and Mariano has a cutter 4-seam 2-seam change and I think even a splitter. What gives? Must be the stupid guess pitch thing.

In 07, he also has five pitches, I just laugh because it's dumb, and then I realise I have him on my team, so I act like he isn't unbalanced

[chew1109]

when a scout or someone says he throws 95 with life that means its deceiving in that it gives the illusion that the ball is picking up as speed. Guys who are gifted enough to throw their fastball with "life" fit the mold of a closer oppose to a starter. Craig Hansen, for example, sits at 96-97 yet major league hitters sit on his straight fastball. Papelbon on the other hand has life to his 95+ MPH fastball with added movement.

[kelvinp]

it's the fact that you see the starter longer than the reliever's and closers

the starters get tired
thats one reason

a reliever goes no more than 2 innings so the pitching changes and you dont get the same pitcher

like three different pitchers
depending on batting order and pitch count/hits/runs/injury/k's